Do you feel comfortable sleeping on filthy hotel beds?

[partgypsy]

I really hope the bedbug issue is overblown, because I love planning trips even if short ones, where staying in a hotel.
thanks for the bounce dryer sheet suggestion! I will put them in our luggage next trip.

My kids are in elementary school and we got lice!!! Basically there was about 2 years, where they would get them, we'd get rid of them (after tearing house apart, de-licing their hair, bagging everything up, etc), then they would get them again. It was an epidemic, almost everyone we knew was having the same problem (yes even the families in the 400K homes). I finally figured out THE method to get rid of them and the kids know never to touch heads, share things that have touched heads or hair, and so far so good. but I feel I have PTSD from it, and if one of my kids, happens to scratch their head I have to go through the whole de-licing ritual to reassure myself.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm not at all under the impression that higher end places have no bedbugs.

I believe you have to do your research. There are lots of sites that update regularly to tell you who has hand outbreaks.

Here's the thing though.... if you stay at a higher end place and there is an issue...they are prompt about re-dressing it.

As for cleanliness. Same thing. Research.

I am grateful I no longer have to travel often for work. My anxiety when did was pretty intense.

 

[missy]

I'm not at all under the impression that higher end places have no bedbugs.

I believe you have to do your research. There are lots of sites that update regularly to tell you who has hand outbreaks.

Here's the thing though.... if you stay at a higher end place and there is an issue...they are prompt about re-dressing it.

As for cleanliness. Same thing. Research.

I am grateful I no longer have to travel often for work. My anxiety when did was pretty intense.

It also has taken some of the fun out of seeing movies and shows. I feel the need to check the seats yet while doing so I feel stupid and also worried I am missing something. I also don't sit on those wooden benches while waiting for the subways anymore. And even high end clothing stores have had infestations. The list goes on and on.

No matter how careful you are it can still happen of course but at least you can do everything you can to try to prevent it because preventing is easier than treating and vigilance is key.

 

[lambskin]

I have traveled to over 110 countries and have stayed mostly in youth hostels (IYAH) cheap hotels, and even convents, monasteries and trains. You can not tell when you are going to get bitten. Some of the cleanest looking places catch you off guard and one bed may be infected while the other not. It has been my experience that youth hostels really are set up for cleanliness more than comfort. Mattresses are totally covered in plastic and you make the beds as the linens and blankets are washed after each use because the patrons may not be the cleanest. No fancy bed skirt, comforter or drapes adorn a youth hostel room. However I will not return to a place if I know that it is infected.

 

[sanjaytuli]

I can't sleep on hard bed! I found out dirty one glass, dirty old Carpets and water stain and hole chair. I don't feel refresh because of hard bed!!! It is important to us that the rooms bed should be comfortable. If you're sure you only want to stay in hotels, I think sleeping bags are necessary. You do want to keep in mind, however, that this may affect your flexibility in terms of which towns/villages you choose to stay. I chose to stay at a hotel on average once a week. During those nights, I did use my sleeping bag.

 

[perry]

My experience is price point/name brand has no real effect on actual, vs superficial, room cleanliness. That it is all up to local staff and management. I've stayed in hotels at least 14 nights in about the last 2 months ranging from I think about $70 per night to $350 per night (rack rates).

Life is worth living if you do it right,

Perry

 

[momhappy]

Nah, there are bigger things in life to worry about.
I do my research before choosing a hotel and I have a little routine I do to try to ensure that there are no bed bugs. If the hotel room seems clean overall, then I'm pretty much fine with the bed/sleeping. I'm not afraid to change rooms if something's not right.

 

[House Cat]

I am a road warrior so if I worried about what may be lurking in a hotel room I'd be totally screwed. I don't stay in the $29/night places but have stayed in lots in the $125 price point and they are generally fine. As someone said, the most disgusting things are the remote control, door knobs, light switches, phone, desktop.... If I have an antiseptic wipe I wipe all those down. If I don't I just don't worry about it.

Did anyone read about the futility of toilet seat covers today: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/toilet-seat-liners-covers-pointless-bacteria-germs_n_5500416.html


I don't care what you do but please ladies, wipe up after yourself in public restrooms! I use far too many of them and I will shame you if I walk in behind you and you left it disgusting!

I think the toilets flush with such fervor now that they splash water onto the seats.

I am done using public restrooms. ETA: I just started using them a few years ago.

I am only comfortable in hotels that use down comforters with clean duvet covers for each new guest. But I don't sit in the upholstered chairs and I always have a creeped out feeling about the carpet, so I wear my shoes or slippers.

 

[arkieb1]

I am a road warrior so if I worried about what may be lurking in a hotel room I'd be totally screwed. I don't stay in the $29/night places but have stayed in lots in the $125 price point and they are generally fine. As someone said, the most disgusting things are the remote control, door knobs, light switches, phone, desktop.... If I have an antiseptic wipe I wipe all those down. If I don't I just don't worry about it.

Did anyone read about the futility of toilet seat covers today: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/toilet-seat-liners-covers-pointless-bacteria-germs_n_5500416.html


I don't care what you do but please ladies, wipe up after yourself in public restrooms! I use far too many of them and I will shame you if I walk in behind you and you left it disgusting!

I think the toilets flush with such fervor now that they splash water onto the seats.

I am done using public restrooms. ETA: I just started using them a few years ago.

I am only comfortable in hotels that use down comforters with clean duvet covers for each new guest. But I don't sit in the upholstered chairs and I always have a creeped out feeling about the carpet, so I wear my shoes or slippers.

Do you wear what you call flip flops or thongs in the shower? The bacteria in the shower and or bathtubs is usually a lot worse than the carpet....

 

[ponder]

And I hope this goes without saying but glassware/ceramic coffee mugs in hotel rooms are RARELY washed in a dishwasher. They are usually just rinsed in the bathroom sink and placed back on the counter. I don't believe they are ever removed from the room unless they are broken. I have encountered so many dirty glasses that I only use disposable cups or bottled water or even my freshly washed hand in hotel rooms.

 

[CJ2008]

I do look up the hotel to see if they've been reported on the bed bugs directory and I do look on the bed, etc. - I definitely don't quite enjoy sleeping in a hotel like I used to. I don't let it keep me up at night but it's not the same any more.

(I do always forget not to sit on the upholstered chairs and stuff though - thankfully nothing has ever happened.)

(Missy, so these things are even in like movie theaters? Yikes. Is this just NY thing?)

 

[ennui]

Is this the thread for "First World issues"?

I don't stay in "filthy hotels," but I have no problem sleeping on hotel beds. It helps to be very tired.

Life is full of germs, and it builds the immune system to be exposed once in a while.

 

[Imdanny]

Yes, of course, DL. Doesn't everyone?

 

[missy]

I do look up the hotel to see if they've been reported on the bed bugs directory and I do look on the bed, etc. - I definitely don't quite enjoy sleeping in a hotel like I used to. I don't let it keep me up at night but it's not the same any more.

(I do always forget not to sit on the upholstered chairs and stuff though - thankfully nothing has ever happened.)

(Missy, so these things are even in like movie theaters? Yikes. Is this just NY thing?)

Hi CJ, no this is everywhere. Not just NYC. Honestly I don't even go to the movies anymore but that is really more about not liking to hear other people talking throughout the movie, munching noisily on food and dealing with temperatures that might be too cold or warm. Yeah I'm that old now haha. I like the comfort of my own home and watching movies with my dh in the privacy of our home being able to stop the movie for bathroom or snack breaks and just having peace and quiet without hearing other people chatter. The avoidance of the bed bug issue is just an added bonus. LOL.

 

[missy]

Is this the thread for "First World issues"?

I don't stay in "filthy hotels," but I have no problem sleeping on hotel beds. It helps to be very tired.

Life is full of germs, and it builds the immune system to be exposed once in a while.

Unfortunately having a bed bug infestation does nothing positive for our immune systems. And it is a real pain to get rid of-expensive and time consuming and stressful. Avoidance and being smart about it as best as one can (because nothing is infallible and anyone can get an infestation unfortunately) is the best way because once you are infested it will be a long and exhausting process to be free of them.

 

[House Cat]

I am a road warrior so if I worried about what may be lurking in a hotel room I'd be totally screwed. I don't stay in the $29/night places but have stayed in lots in the $125 price point and they are generally fine. As someone said, the most disgusting things are the remote control, door knobs, light switches, phone, desktop.... If I have an antiseptic wipe I wipe all those down. If I don't I just don't worry about it.

Did anyone read about the futility of toilet seat covers today: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/toilet-seat-liners-covers-pointless-bacteria-germs_n_5500416.html


I don't care what you do but please ladies, wipe up after yourself in public restrooms! I use far too many of them and I will shame you if I walk in behind you and you left it disgusting!

I think the toilets flush with such fervor now that they splash water onto the seats.

I am done using public restrooms. ETA: I just started using them a few years ago.

I am only comfortable in hotels that use down comforters with clean duvet covers for each new guest. But I don't sit in the upholstered chairs and I always have a creeped out feeling about the carpet, so I wear my shoes or slippers.

Do you wear what you call flip flops or thongs in the shower? The bacteria in the shower and or bathtubs is usually a lot worse than the carpet....

I always assumed they cleaned the shower with a bleach based cleaner.

Now I will be wearing flip flops in the shower.

OMG, this thread is really hitting on my germophobe issues.

 

[OoohShiny]

Is this the thread for "First World issues"?

I don't stay in "filthy hotels," but I have no problem sleeping on hotel beds. It helps to be very tired.

Life is full of germs, and it builds the immune system to be exposed once in a while.

Unfortunately having a bed bug infestation does nothing positive for our immune systems. And it is a real pain to get rid of-expensive and time consuming and stressful. Avoidance and being smart about it as best as one can (because nothing is infallible and anyone can get an infestation unfortunately) is the best way because once you are infested it will be a long and exhausting process to be free of them.

I have to say that I agree with ennui - I certainly am not unclean, I regularly enjoy 15-20 minute showers and I won't leave the house in clothes that are less than immaculately clean - but I am not one of these people who buys "Kills 99.999999% of all known bacteria!!!" biocide products because they are, frankly, ridiculous.

With no exposure to germs, how can our body learn to defend itself?

And if we are regularly wiping out what few 'normal' tiny living things there are (which are perfectly normal to have around), are we not going to end up leaving just the super-resistant bacteria that exist, and also creating more as organisms adapt to survive the regular and unnecessary onslaught of biocides?

We are already seeing some strains of disease that are resistant to our 'last line of defence' antibiotics, so what exactly are those who buy said biocide products going to clean with when nothing will kill what they are afraid of?


Living in fear of germs seems to be a very western culture, which I would propose has arisen due to the power of marketing (used to sell ever more products that we don't need in order to increase company profits, regardless of long term effects) and its ability to twist our natural minor worries into all-consuming fears. When I grew up, only a few decades ago, my mother would just wipe the kitchen round with the cloth that lay in the sink for such a purpose. Was it probably full of bacteria? Yes. Was I always ill? No. I never use these ridiculous biocide products and actively leave things on the supermarket shelves that have them in, choosing a 'normal' cleaning product instead, and yet I can count on one hand the number of days I have had off sick over the past decade, and probably only need two hands if I consider my whole working life. If we ever have children, I will be telling them to go outside and play in the mud!


Anyway, rant over

 

[missy]

Oohshiny, I stand by my comment re bedbugs having no helpful immune system reaction. But you're more than welcome to them.

However I agree that in many instances one can go overboard. Not however with respect to bedbugs. IMO.

 

[CJ2008]

I do look up the hotel to see if they've been reported on the bed bugs directory and I do look on the bed, etc. - I definitely don't quite enjoy sleeping in a hotel like I used to. I don't let it keep me up at night but it's not the same any more.

(I do always forget not to sit on the upholstered chairs and stuff though - thankfully nothing has ever happened.)

(Missy, so these things are even in like movie theaters? Yikes. Is this just NY thing?)

Hi CJ, no this is everywhere. Not just NYC. Honestly I don't even go to the movies anymore but that is really more about not liking to hear other people talking throughout the movie, munching noisily on food and dealing with temperatures that might be too cold or warm. Yeah I'm that old now haha. I like the comfort of my own home and watching movies with my dh in the privacy of our home being able to stop the movie for bathroom or snack breaks and just having peace and quiet without hearing other people chatter. The avoidance of the bed bug issue is just an added bonus. LOL.

WOW - I had no idea about movie theaters. I'm going to look it up see if I find any articles because I need some proof (not that I don't totally believe you Missy but I just need to read it somewhere).

(and yeah the movie at home thing again

 

[missy]

I do look up the hotel to see if they've been reported on the bed bugs directory and I do look on the bed, etc. - I definitely don't quite enjoy sleeping in a hotel like I used to. I don't let it keep me up at night but it's not the same any more.

(I do always forget not to sit on the upholstered chairs and stuff though - thankfully nothing has ever happened.)

(Missy, so these things are even in like movie theaters? Yikes. Is this just NY thing?)

Hi CJ, no this is everywhere. Not just NYC. Honestly I don't even go to the movies anymore but that is really more about not liking to hear other people talking throughout the movie, munching noisily on food and dealing with temperatures that might be too cold or warm. Yeah I'm that old now haha. I like the comfort of my own home and watching movies with my dh in the privacy of our home being able to stop the movie for bathroom or snack breaks and just having peace and quiet without hearing other people chatter. The avoidance of the bed bug issue is just an added bonus. LOL.

WOW - I had no idea about movie theaters. I'm going to look it up see if I find any articles because I need some proof (not that I don't totally believe you Missy but I just need to read it somewhere).

(and yeah the movie at home thing again

No that's totally cool. I am not an expert by any means on bedbugs. Thank goodness LOL. I have 2 friends who dealt with infestations in their homes and it was truly a nightmare to get rid of the little suckers.

From my understanding it is not *that* prevalent in these places but still if you are the one who is the unlucky victim...

http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/travel-tips/articles/top-10-bedbug-infestation-spots

http://www.ecomattressbags.com/blogs/news/10175509-top-bed-bug-facts-and-statistics-feating-the-top-13-places-to-find-bed-bugs-outside-of-your-bedroom

http://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/history-of-bed-bugs/where-bed-bugs-are-found/

http://www.bedbugsbites.net/movie-theater-bed-bugs-how-to-avoid-bed-bugs-in-movie-theater-seats/

 

[CJ2008]

Missy - I kid you not - after reading those articles I am itchy all over and can't make it stop.

(I did laugh outloud at the one article who said to carry a "torch or a flashlight" into the theater